1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair treatment devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to hair treatment applicators and a method of applying a hair treatment product composition to hair. Especially, the present invention relates to hair treatment applicators for applying a thickened hair lightening product composition to long hair or curly, especially long, curly hair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hair treatment or hair color applicators are known. Such hair treatment applicators allow a user to apply a hair product, such as a highlightener, a hair bleach, or a hair dye, to hair.
U.S. Provisional Pat. Appln. 60/416,163 filed Oct. 4, 2002 and assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, assignee herein, discloses an applicator for applying a highlighting composition to hair. The highlighting applicator of the '163 application has a handle, a plurality of heads connected to the handle, and a hair treatment composition retaining structure that comprises a plurality of tines defining a retaining volume. The tines defining the retaining structure of the '163 application are circular in cross section, and short in length. Consequently, while suitable for short hair styles, that device is not suitable for long or curly hair, especially for long, curly hair.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,157 to de Laforcade, an applicator system is disclosed. The applicator has a handle with a brush, and a plurality of brush members extending from a first side of the brush. The brush members are disposed along the first side of the brush in parallel and perpendicular rows. A user places the hair product onto the brush members and passes the applicator along a lock of hair so that the brush members transfer the hair product to the hair. The disclosed applicator suffers from the drawback of failing to allow for a separation between treated and untreated hair.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,420 to Musum, a highlighting comb is disclosed. The comb has a plurality of tines that are secured to a spine, which is connected to a handle. The tines are disposed adjacent to each other along a straight line. The user of the comb places the treatment material into retaining areas that are disposed between each of the respective adjacent tines and then passes the tines through the hair. The disclosed comb suffers from the drawback of failing to provide a separation between the retaining areas through which hair may pass that will be untreated.
When the hair is long, the conventional applicators do not penetrate the hair. Rather, the hair is pressed down, and the applicator head when used is pulled across the surface of the hair. With curly hair there is more entanglement of the strands, with the conventional applicators becoming caught in the hair. In both cases, there is a random distribution of the hair treatment product composition onto the surface of the hair, and with insufficient product being applied to the interior surface of the hair. In particular in extreme cases, the product will be dispensed onto the long hair as large globs, which will cause excessive amounts of the product to be applied locally rather than evenly distributed, resulting in poor aesthetics.